Deportation of Indians from US: LS adjourned for third time, Jaishankar to make statement

New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 3.30 pm on Thursday amid vociferous protests by opposition members on the issue of deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the United States.

This was the third adjournment for the day on the issue. As soon as the House reassembled at 2 pm after the second adjournment, opposition members were on their feet trying to raise the issue.

Amid sloganeering by the opposition members, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the House that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement in the House on the deportation of Indians at 3.30 pm BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till 3.30 pm.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha was in turmoil when it convened for the day. Speaker Om Birla tried to pacify the agitating members, saying that the government has taken note of their concerns seriously.

"The issue is serious. It is a matter of foreign policy. The government has taken it seriously. The foreign country also has its own rules and regulations. You can raise your issues at 12 noon and allow the Question Hour to run smoothly," he said.

Birla said the Question Hour is important.

"People have chosen you to raise their issues in the House but you are resorting to protests. This method is not good," he said.

With the first question of the day marked for Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad, Birla said, "You are not allowing the member of your associate party to raise his issues. You are systematically disrupting House. This is not good." The protesting members ignored the Speaker's pleas, following which Birla adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.

A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport on Wednesday. This was the first batch of Indians to be deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.

Of those deported, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.